I dreamed I lived in China
The old China as it used to be
In a village in a fertile valley
Now buried by the River Yangtze

My father was a fisherman
He would go out in his boat at night
He would throw a line into the water
And wait for the fish to bite

I grew up and worked hard at school
I wanted to become a scientist
I had no interest in girls
At sixteen I had never been kissed

However one day I met my future wife
I saw her swimming naked in the river
I watched her dry and get dressed
Before making myself known to her

She was bold and she was beautiful
And much more interesting than chemistry
Soon we were swimming naked together
In the river and in the sea

We courted through university
And then married at half past three
In a garden full of lotus blossom
Beneath a magnolia tree

A year later she became very ill
And died in my arms in our bed
With her last breath she said to me
That she wanted to be buried in red

I found a cloth of deep scarlet
And wrapped it round her gently
Then I lifted up her tiny body
And carried her into the sea

The fish welcomed us to their world
And a part of it we shall forever be
This is my dream of China
The old China as it used to be